And her sister Klytemnestra – famous for murdering her husband – is often similarly pigeonholed due to a single moment in her legendary life, missing all the other moments that led to this one. Traditionally she is reduced merely to her beauty, when really, she should be presented as a woman in her own right, making decisions that have repercussions rippling across all of Ancient Greece and Troy. I’ve always wanted to know more about Helen – who is such a catalyst in the Homerian epic, but such a passive figure without a voice of her own. OPINIONS: Daughters of Sparta is extremely compelling. Their duty is now to give birth to the heirs society demands and be the meek, submissive queens their men expect.īut when the weight of their husbands’ neglect, cruelty and ambition becomes too heavy to bear, they must push against the constraints of their sex to carve new lives for themselves – and in doing so make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years.

While still only girls they are separated and married off to legendary foreign kings Agamemnon and Menelaos, never to meet again. Such privilege comes at a high price, though, and their destinies are not theirs to command. With their high birth and unrivalled beauty, they are the envy of all of Greece. Yet even as Queens, each is only expected to do two things: birth an heir and embody the meek, demure nature that is expected of women.īut when the weight of their husbands' neglect, cruelty, and ambition becomes too heavy to bear, Helen and Klytemnestra must push against the constraints of their society to carve new lives for themselves, and in doing so, make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years.ĭaughters of Sparta is a vivid and illuminating reimagining of the Siege of Troy, told through the perspectives of two women whose voices have been ignored for far too long.SUMMARY: As princesses of Sparta, Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty. Helen remains in Sparta to be betrothed to Menelaos, and Klytemnestra is sent alone to an unfamiliar land to become the wife of the powerful Agamemnon. While still only girls, the sisters are separated and married to foreign kings of their father's choosing.

With their high birth and unrivaled beauty, they are the envy of all of Greece. Daughters of Sparta is a tale of secrets, love, and tragedy from the women behind mythology's most devastating war, the infamous Helen and her sister Klytemnestra.Īs princesses of Sparta, Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty. For millennia, men have told the legend of the woman whose face launched a thousand ships-but now it's time to hear her side of the story.

Daughters of sparta a novel